Pep Guardiola impressed by ‘full package’ Jude Bellingham ahead of Manchester City’s clash against Borussia Dortmund

English midfielder Jude Bellingham has been in the news for some time now. There have been rumours of many clubs showing interest in the Borussia Dortmund starlet. Among the suitors Manchester City have emerged as one of the hot favourites to land the talented midfielder as manager Pep Guardiola was massively impressed by his performance against City when both sides met in the reverse fixture of Champions League. 

Now City are on their way to Dortmund to face the Black and Yellows for the penultimate match of the group stage as the Citizens have already qualified for the knockouts. While Guardiola spoke about the German outfit he did not forget to mention the English midfielder who has already scored twice in the previous two matches against Manchester City.

“The quality, everybody knows it,” Guardiola said of Bellingham. “The whole package is really good,” he added.

Bellingham who is only 19 years old right now has solid interest from top clubs all around the world which include the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, etc. The former Birmingham City midfielder has already made a mark for England aswell and has already earned 17 international caps for the Three Lions. He is now raring to feature for England at the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar. 

The youngster joined Borussia Dortmund at the age of 17 from Birmingham City as he wanted to grow as a footballer and despite many opportunities in England he wanted to join the German outfit for their knack of showing trust to the younger players and the way they nurture and hone their skills. Now in hindsight the decision of joining Dortmund has worked in his favour as he is currently one of the biggest talents in world football and as a midfielder he has the talent to do a bit of everything with aplomb. 

Guardiola was very impressed with his leadership skills aswell despite being a youngster Bellingham is someone who sets an example with his workrate and level of play for others to follow. Hence he said, “He was 17 when he arrived but it was not just about his quality, [it was] how he was leading, his kicking, going to the referee,” said Guardiola.

“This guy was something special in terms of his mentality. Now he is 19 and he is already one of the captains.”

Lastly Guardiola also lauded the decision to join Dortmund as he shared how staying in England and joining top Premier League clubs would not have allowed him to grow as much as he has done in these years. In Dortmund he got the gametime under his belt which the number one priority for any player in their growing age. 

“I think Borussia Dortmund is the perfect place for young talent to come,” Guardiola said. “Maybe if Jude Bellingham was in England he would go to City, United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal or Tottenham, maybe he would not get the minutes. The best thing for a young player to be better is to play minutes.”

Bellingham will be looking to continue his scoring streak against Manchester City as both sides will meet again in the Champions League. But where the Englishman will end up is still a question that only time can tell.